The game of golf is one of the most widely enjoyed sports activities in the world. The number of persons participating in this activity, both at the professional and recreational level, is almost unparalleled. Not only is this activity already widespread, but also the ranks of golfers continue to swell at an unprecedented rate.
The sport of golf is typically played on a course consisting of nine or eighteen “holes”. A set of clubs is used to strike a golf ball along each hole comprising the course. Each hole consists of a starting location wherein a golfer places a ball and initially strikes the ball towards a green. Each green includes a recessed cup, and it is the object of the golfer to strike the ball with a series of strokes into the cup. Different clubs are used to vary the height, distance and spin of the ball, and a set of clubs may number ten or more. The holes normally vary in length from short holes of approximately one hundred yards to longer holes of five hundred yards and greater. The holes are flanked by rough areas out of which it is more difficult to play, and hazards are provided to increase the intricacy and precision required in play.
Golfers may travel over a course during play in a variety of manners. For example, a golfer may walk a course and carry his/her clubs in a specialized container known in the art as a “golf bag” or sometimes employs another to carry clubs for him/her. Other golfers employ wheeled pull carts which mountably receive a set of clubs with or without a golf bag so that a golfer may push or pull the cart as the golfer walks each hole. Motorized or engine driven carts are available at some courses and, in fact, are required for play at certain courses, wherein a golfer mounts his/her clubs on the motorized cart and drives across the course from one ball lie to the next.
The present invention concerns those persons who walk a golf course and carry their own clubs in a golf bag. This invention is thus useful for a substantial number of golfers who desire walking a golf course as a means of healthy, enjoyable exercise. One of the drawbacks which has long existed for these golfers prior to the present invention, however, is the nature of the construction of the standard golf bag. A typical golf bag which receives the set of clubs is in the form of a tubular body enclosed at one end. A single strap extends from an upper rim of the golf bag to a mid-point on the bag. The golfer or the caddy then carries such bag by inserting one arm through the strap so that the strap extends across one shoulder thus supporting the bag for travel. A small handle may also be mounted on the bag, normally between the end points of the strap, to enable the bag to be carried by the human hand.
A disadvantage to this system has long been present, in that the entire weight of the golf clubs and bag, which may typically be on the order of twenty to twenty-eight pounds, can strain the muscles of the neck and shoulders. Despite this disadvantage, some golfers still enjoy being able to carry their golf bag and clubs slung over either shoulder individually.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,704, relevant disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference, a golf bag carrying system is disclosed in the form of a dual strap carrier device that may be manufactured either in conjunction with the construction of a golf bag, as original equipment, or which may be manufactured as a retro-fit system attachable to a standard golf bag assembly. The disclosed device enables a golfer to carry a golf bag and clubs suspended from both shoulders simultaneously. To this end, in its broad form, the disclosed system is in the form of a strap assembly for use with a golf bag wherein the golf bag is in the form of an elongated tubular member having a surrounding sidewall, an enclosed end and an open end whereby the shafts of golf clubs made be inserted into the golf bag. The strap assembly includes a first strap having a first strap end secured to the golf bag at a first location proximate the open end and having a first strap second end secured to the golf bag at a second location axially spaced from the first location along an attachment axis. The first strap thereby defines a primary strap forming a first strap opening which may be secured over one of the person's shoulders. The second strap has a second strap first end secured to the golf bag proximate the second location and has a second strap second end secured to the golf bag at a third location axially spaced from the second location along the attachment axis between the second location and the closed end of the golf bag, thereby defining a second strap opening. The second strap thus forms a secondary strap opening which may be positioned over the other shoulder of the person so that the golf bag may be suspended from and supported by both shoulders in a fully supported state. In the fully supported state, therefore, the golf bag is oriented generally transversely across the back of the user.
The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,704 is said to be useful in carrying a golf bag over either one shoulder or both shoulders, according to the desires of the carrier. However, experience shows that the primary strap opening optimal for single-shoulder use is different from that which is optimal for dual-shoulder use; and further, that when the attachment means at the second location is a ring, the straps can slide through the ring, permitting the primary strap opening to become substantially oversized; and further, that a second location which is optimal for dual-shoulder use is sub-optimal for single-shoulder use, resulting in a cumbersome single-shoulder carrying mode.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a carrying system for a golf bag that can be adjusted to be simultaneously optimum for either single-shoulder carrying or dual-shoulder carrying.
What is further needed is such a system wherein no readjustment of the system is required to shift from one carrying mode to the other.
What is further needed is such a system wherein a carrier may shift from one carrying mode to the other without having to set down the golf bag.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide means for carrying a golf bag on either a single shoulder or on both shoulders, wherein the adjustments for both carrying modes may be simultaneously optimized.